The Belfry of Hesdin

An œuvre of the Hesdin architect Clovis Normand, the community’s tower dates back to 1878, Hesdin having had no belfry for over a century.

We owe this belfry to Daniel Lereuil, the mayor’s son, who bequeathed 12,000 gold Francs to the town in 1875. As his family bore the additional building costs, the town paid him tribute by naming the two-tonne bell in the tower Danièle-Marie-Pauline-Henriette, after the donor’s mother.

In 1879, Daniel Lereuil’s parents also donated a clock, with a face on each side of the belfry. The base of the building is a three-floor square tower that contains three dungeons.

The top of the belfry has a dome covered with slates. The watchman was sheltered there from the wind and rain, protected by a lion weather vane two metres high, taking the height of this magnificent building to 72 metres.